Loading summary
Transcript148 lines
- [00:00]
Nick
Hey Yetis, this is Nick and Jack
- [00:02]
Dave Defore
from the Best One yet podcast. Now the last company we worked at,
- [00:04]
Nick
they used Paylocity and everything just worked.
- [00:07]
Dave Defore
It wasn't until launching our own media business this show that we realized how rare that is. Because Paylocity is one delicious burrito of operational needs. They roll up HR finance and it seamlessly into one delicious bite.
- [00:21]
Nick
When everything wraps together like that all
- [00:22]
Dave Defore
at once, your workforce, your tech stack, your business.
- [00:24]
Nick
You don't need more tools, you don't even need cilantro.
- [00:26]
Dave Defore
You need one solution.
- [00:28]
Nick
And that is why Paylocity built a single platform to connect HR finance and IT with AI driven insights and automated workflows that simplify the complex and power what's next.
- [00:37]
Dave Defore
Or as we call it, a delicious operational burrito.
- [00:40]
Zena Kaeda
Yes, we do experience a one place
- [00:42]
Nick
for all your HCM needs besties. So start now at paylocity.com 1paylocity.com O
- [00:49]
Dave Defore
N E Parl Italiano if you've used
- [00:56]
Zena Kaeda
Babbel, you would Babbel's conversation based technique teaches you useful words and phrases to get you speaking quickly about the things you actually talk about in the real world. With lessons handcrafted by over 200 language experts and voiced by real native speakers, Babbel is like having a private tutor in your pocket. Start speaking with Babbel today. Get up to 55% off your Babbel subscription right now at babbel.com acast sp spelled b a B-B-E-L.com acast rules and restrictions may apply. Men's Wearhouse helps you love the way you look no matter if it's a formal occasion or a more casual thing.
- [01:39]
Dave Defore
Job interview, tea time, high school reunion,
- [01:42]
Zena Kaeda
wedding, courtside seats, or just a neighborhood
- [01:44]
Dave Defore
party where you want people to say, man, he looks impressive.
- [01:50]
Zena Kaeda
If you're a man with something, anything on the books, Men's Wearhouse has the clothes, shoes and accessories that make you look and feel good. Their in store experts will help you find the right look while their on site tailors will ensure you've got the right fit.
- [02:08]
Dave Defore
Men's Wearhouse Love the way you look.
- [02:14]
Zena Kaeda
Hello and welcome to the NBA Daily for June 5, 2026. I'm Zena Keda, joined by Esperahini and Dave Def Got to break down game one of the NBA Finals, preview a little bit of Game two and I got to catch up with what my guys have been doing without me in San Antonio. Fellas, hello. You guys behaving?
- [02:39]
Nick
We miss you Zena.
- [02:40]
Dave Defore
Yeah, we miss You, Xena, it's not the same being at the finals without the whole team.
- [02:46]
Zena Kaeda
We miss you.
- [02:47]
Dave Defore
I don't know which direction we're going,
- [02:48]
Zena Kaeda
but you go this way.
- [02:49]
Dave Defore
We're all doing the same thing. You know, in Japan, they do this, right?
- [02:52]
Nick
It kind of looks like.
- [02:53]
Zena Kaeda
I love this. I just learned about this, guys. By the way, for those just listening, we are putting our index fingers and thumbs together. That is apparently the new way to do hearts, which is adorable.
- [03:05]
Dave Defore
Yeah, it's a heart sign. Yeah, I learned about it.
- [03:08]
Nick
This is money to me, rubbing it together.
- [03:11]
Dave Defore
It's two fingers for that one, though. That's right, two fingers. Maybe three even. Or four, depending on.
- [03:18]
Nick
Depending.
- [03:18]
Zena Kaeda
That's a lot of money. Speaking of which. Speaking of which, money was spent for y' all to go down to San Antonio. How has it been live on site?
- [03:30]
Dave Defore
It's been a lot of fun. S and I, we've. We've had a chance. Obviously, we were game one. We'll be at game two tonight. But we really had a. A good time walking around. Around the Alamo area, the Riverwalk, talking to fans. We knew that there were going to be a lot of Knicks fans in the building before we ever arrived at the arena, because they were outside. They were in their jerseys. They. I'm talking. We saw Patrick Ewing jerseys. We saw a guy who was wearing a T shirt from the 1999 finals, game four. Like, he had the shirt.
- [04:03]
Zena Kaeda
That's so dope. Yeah, that was awesome.
- [04:05]
Dave Defore
Yeah, it's been. It's been a lot of fun. And look, I think I lived in San Antonio. I've talked a lot on the show already about how much I love it here. And the New Yorkers that were here were talking about how much they love San Antonio. So there's a. There's this, like, a mutual respect going on here between, like, the Knicks fans and San Antonio. And then. I don't know how it was for you, Zena, I really want your opinion, because, like, we watched. We were in the arena.
- [04:30]
Zena Kaeda
Yeah.
- [04:31]
Dave Defore
But I don't know how it came across on tv, but it was a great crowd. The Knicks fans were amazing. The spurs fans, obviously, like, they're at home. They're fired up. And it was like, I don't know. This is. This is about as good as the NBA crowds get when they're this mixed, I think.
- [04:47]
Zena Kaeda
Yeah. From home, you could see that the Knicks fans were nicely interspersed throughout. Even down on the court. Even folks took advantage of the opportunity to probably get some cheaper tickets in San Antonio. Than what? They're going to New York.
- [04:59]
Nick
Yeah.
- [05:00]
Dave Defore
But the flight and hotel was probably
- [05:02]
Zena Kaeda
cheaper, a lot cheaper. No, it definitely just felt like everyone was just raring to go. People were in their shirts. I appreciated that. People, you know, the vibes, I love the Fiesta vibe, etc. But one thing that was like, interesting was the pop. Audibly, it didn't sound as loud as I know it was in there. Like, I know it was in there.
- [05:21]
Nick
I'll tell you this right now.
- [05:22]
Zena Kaeda
It was so loud.
- [05:23]
Nick
Broadcast. They've been nerfing the broadcast basically all. I mean, like, basically all playoffs. For some reason, the crowd pop in the actual arena is way louder than. Than what you hear on tv. It's not even.
- [05:39]
Zena Kaeda
And you can tell that.
- [05:40]
Nick
And I've noticed that from. Yeah, absolutely, you could tell.
- [05:42]
Zena Kaeda
So Malika Andrews did an interview or had a particular, like, interview. I think it was Darren Fox and she's like really trying to talk to him and you. So I'm like, it's loud in there. I know it's loud in there. And that was pre game, so I can only imagine what it was like during the game. But yeah, the vibe, the energy definitely looked amazing. And the fact that the game was back and forth and tight for a while up until that third quarter and then things flipped in the fourth, like, it. It was everything you could ask for. I literally put out on Blue Sky. I was like, man, like, here we were thinking, okc, San Antonio, best series ever. And then boom. New York's like, hold on, hold on. Invite us to the party as well. You'll see what happens. And so it was a lot of fun just watching it from that perspective.
- [06:25]
Nick
I absolutely love, just if, you know, Dave's been here before. But for me, first time in Texas, first time in San Antonio, getting experience of, yeah. Little seeing like what even this part of the world is about. And I think culturally, San Antonio is a really cool city. If you haven't got a chance to come and check it out, I would 100% recommend it. You know, I've probably ended up going to about. I want to say maybe like a third of the NBA cities in the league. I would put San Antonio up there as one of my favorites just because the atmosphere is there. If you're a sports fan, there's such a massive buy in to the Spurs. It's not high. Hello, how are you? When someone's greeting you, it's high. Go Spurs. And it's just. You see that interaction. It wasn't even just with us. Everybody is interacting that way. So the buy in of the fans with this, this crowd and everything like that, it's. It's been awesome to watch.
- [07:24]
Zena Kaeda
I'm happy you brought the buy in up because I think that that has probably been the most exciting part for anyone that is not in San Antonio. Just seeing on social media the way that both of these cities have thoroughly bought into the finals and getting their folks excited about. I mean, Zormandani putting together the bill to allow kids to stay up to be able to watch the Knicks game is the cutest thing I've ever seen. Just being able to see the skyline and like the buildings having ghost spurs and the lights and just the. Every. Both of these cities have just fully dove right into the competition of this, but it seems healthy. And that's the best part about this, is that everyone's just like enjoying the competition. So. Okay, let's get into that then. Game one. I think that for the most part, I think we all took away some of the same kind of storylines. Victor Emanyama was not good enough. Fair. Josh Hart solid, like he's a Swiss army knife for the Knicks. He's amazing. Um, the Knicks defense, the shell that they put around that paint, really messed up what the. The spurs wanted to do in terms of getting into driving lanes, getting into the paint, and being able to find success from, you know, what they typically do. Drive, kick, drive, finish at the basket, et cetera. Karl Anthony Towns story probably of the night, I mean, he showed up for the moment. So I think these are kind of like the things that you guys talked about last night and everyone's been kind of talking about in general. But I want to kind of dig into some of these things in particularly starting with Katt and just how locked in and ready he felt for this matchup. One of the biggest things that I noticed in the. In the first two drives that Katt had on Wemby, and you saw it throughout the night, Wemby kept looking flat footed. And it made me kind of realize, you know what? I don't necessarily think that this is the first time that Wemby's look like this, right? We've seen him be very even in front of people. He's never like, you know, basketball coaches tell you as you're growing up playing defense, you want to put one foot a little bit ahead of the other, depending on the. Just the side that the player in front of you wants to drive. Right. You want to shade them to the side that they don't want to Drive. And Wemby's pretty flat in the way that he, you know, shows against people, whether it's on a screen and he's in drop or when he's defending someone. And that's what I saw in front of Kat and in front of a lot of people, particularly Kat. And Kat was like, oh, bet, this is my opportunity. I'm about attack. I'm going to attack that foot every single time. And then there were times where Wemby was too. He's overplaying the pass. He was too far into passing lanes. And then that was another opportunity for, you know, Kat or whomever to be able to get to the basket. So these. There's a mixture. And I want to ask you guys, you know, from you guys seeing it live, it felt like a mixture of not just Wemby, but in general with the spurs, but Wemby leading the charge a step slow on some of the things that New York wanted to do. It felt like the offense was moving faster than the spurs were ready to defend. And then particularly that Cat looking at Wemby was like, oh, I've seen this, I've scouted this, I've watched the film. You are flat footed and you're going to try and block me from behind once I get past you. And that was all, you know, that was the match.
- [10:46]
Dave Defore
Pretty good point.
- [10:47]
Nick
I. I'll bring up a quote from today's shoot around. Josh Hart was asked about how, you know, the opening matchups were Cat vs. Wemby and how he was expecting Wemby to guard him instead. And he was surprised that Wemby wasn't guarding him. And he's like, I wanted to call a timeout for them. You know, I wanted to call a timeout for them. Which was. It goes to show you, I think both sides were kind of caught off guard with the way the spurs opened up that game, right? Matchup wise, basketball wise, truthfully, even physically wise. So, yeah, I agree with you that there was a level of flatness to the way the spurs approach things, both defensively and offensively. And I really do think it, it boils down to that Cat matchup. Like, Cat knew how to attack him offensively. He was really great defensively against him too, physically, just being a seven footer who can stay in front of him. Such a massive difference for them defensively, especially for the Knicks, who, like, you know, I think they have a lot of solutions to what the, the spurs are able to throw out offensively. I, I just, I thought it was really interesting When Josh Hart mentioned that, because I think it even took the Knicks off of, off of guard, they were like, wait, what this is doing
- [12:02]
Dave Defore
to start, we've been planning for this other thing, and now it's not happening. I, I think with the spurs and especially this matchup, right?
- [12:09]
Zena Kaeda
And.
- [12:09]
Dave Defore
And it may not be what we see in game two. Cat. Cat is an interesting challenge for Wemby because, you know, Wemby's natural position for them really is more the cleanup guys, free safety. And, you know, he. He's working that back line. He's the zone in the middle. And with Cat, because he's tall, right, he's like 6, 10, 6, 11. He. You have to play up on him because he can shoot over the top. And usually when Wemby's guarding a guy, he's 6, 5, 6, 6 on the wing, right? So you're not so worried about it. And then Cat is also strong enough that if you give him space and he wants to drive now the shoulder's down, now he's through your body. Because Wimy just, you know, I think Wimy is actually not weak, but he's not. He doesn't have that same base strength that Cat's got right now. I, I mean, maybe he'll get there, but Cat is strong. He's big. And then, look, I know last night, like when we did the live stream, we're in the afterglow, like, Cat, hey, really physical, dominant. But if he's going to get away with the hook on drives on Wy and be able to move him out of the way, then Cat's going to have a great series. Because those are called as offensive fouls for him most of the time. I mean, he commits usually to a game. And like, if he's going to get away with that, which they're calling it the same way on both ends, right? We know how physical the spurs have been, and they were physical in this game, too. But, but if. If he's going to be allowed to do that to Wemby, he's going to be able to clear him way more often. And, and so I do think that that matchup, it's gotta. There's a few different wrinkles there. It's. Cat's ability to shoot and pass is scary. And then he could put it down and, and put it on the floor. It's why Cat is the secret. If the Knicks win the series, it's gonna be because Cat was great in four games.
- [13:51]
Zena Kaeda
It's important to note that, you know, whatever reason Mitch Johnson and the spurs decided to. As to why they wanted Wemby on Cat, I'm assuming one of them was not allowing him to shoot. That's his entire thing, is that he's the best, you know, shooting big man. And he did his work last night without making a three, right? He's shooting almost 47% from the floor and he, he misses two threes and that wasn't needed. He kept just pressuring and attacking the rim. Um, so that I, I mean, in that regard, they're probably like, okay, it's good we made sure that he didn't shoot threes, but we weren't able to contain the drive and the physicality. Now, it is worth noting that that first half it. The Knicks came out strong, but the spurs responded, right? They went on that crazy 20 to 3 run. And who was responsible for that or helped it? Dylan Harper comes in and helps give such a boost. And I didn't mention him as one of the storylines, but he met the moment he was not afraid whatsoever. I'm curious what you all think about him closing the fourth quarter with only four minutes in that stretch. Like, what's going to. What do you all want to see going into game two of how Dylan Harper is used and what did you like about how he was used in game one?
- [15:12]
Dave Defore
How about flexibility? How about do not decide who you're closing the game with until you get there? Dylan Harper was their best player in game one of the finals. And I know that's weird because he's a rookie and that you have to think about the egos on the team to a certain degree. No matter what, no matter how egoless we think these teams are or these players are, you do have to consider that if you're the coach, but you also got to win basketball games. I think Dylan Harper should have been out there. You, you know, a lot of people have pointed to Fox, the poor shooting 3 of 13. I actually don't. I wouldn't. I don't think I would have sat Fox. I think maybe Champagne would have been the guy, right? Like, he didn't even hit the rim on some of his shots. You adding an extra ball handler. And especially because Dylan Harper is such a dog on the glass. Like, you're not losing that much, right? Like, he's a good defender. He can, you can switch him out onto Brunson if you needed to, right? Like, he just, I think, gives you more flexibility. But the biggest thing is when you can't score, he can get you a bucket. He can get into the paint and collapse of defense and kick it out. I mean, I, I just, I think that the one thing that's missing right now with Dylan Harper is that I, I don't feel like he and Wemby have a great connection yet. I don't know if you guys have picked up on this. They don't have a great connection yet. And I do wonder if that's part of it.
- [16:27]
Zena Kaeda
Stefan Castle and dear or particularly like, yeah, that's a good.
- [16:32]
Dave Defore
And so I wonder if that's part of this where, you know, hey, we need to maximize our best player and that's Wemby and maybe that, that has played into their thinking here. But I think you got to try to figure this out because Dylan Harper is too dynamic of a player and especially when he's having the best game of anyone on your team. I, you gotta find a way to find a minutes. Maybe he's not out there the last two minutes. I'm not sure if you can, you know, if you're worried about being able to trust them there. But he didn't play the last six and a half minutes of the game.
- [16:59]
Nick
Yeah, that I will say, like from, from the Knicks perspective, like flipping it back onto them. It felt like the spurs were searching for answers in that second half. Like Eldon Johnson wasn't giving them anything and so they went to Harrison Barnes more. Carter Bryant wasn't giving them anything either. They're, they're like kind of searching on the wings. Meanwhile, for the Knicks, it's like, okay, Jose Alvarado is going to come in, Jalen Brunson might be hurt and Alvarado is like keeping you alive in this game with his shot making. Landry Shamit is coming in and knocking down a few threes. He was great on a couple of backdoor cuts as well to finish in and around the basketball like depth wise. I think the Knicks have them matched and if you don't get that level of productivity from the outlier players, you know, champagne was awesome in the first half. He disappeared in the second half. Harper was good. You need to give him more minutes. I just, I think if you're searching already in Game 1, that's going to be a factor moving forward for the rest of the series is. You know, truthfully, Mike Brown can trust his rotation a little bit more than, than Mitch Johnson can right now.
- [18:05]
Dave Defore
Yeah, well, let's not forget though, they were up 14 in the middle of the third quarter and then they absolutely just, they just poop the bad guys. They just could not make a shot.
- [18:16]
Nick
The Knicks had them right where they wanted.
- [18:20]
Zena Kaeda
That's.
- [18:20]
Nick
That's the Knicks.
- [18:21]
Dave Defore
You don't want to be in that position with the Knicks. I agree, man. They are the toughest. That team is so mentally tough, I cannot get over it. I mean, just watching them, even in this game, to get to see them live when they're on the sideline. Jalen Brunson has to walk to the locker room. Tyler Kolek was warming up. We were going to get Tyler Kolek. Don't forget he cooked the spurs in that NBA cup. So he might be the secret weapon.
- [18:45]
Nick
I remember they.
- [18:46]
Dave Defore
I mean it just to a man. I. I really just. I respect how the Knicks go about it. Like, this is kind of an ideal veteran team where they have this. This great mix of guys that I don't know. The Knicks. The Knicks can win this series for real, and they could do it, and they could sweep the Spurs. Like they're good enough to do that. I'm starting to wrap my head.
- [19:07]
Zena Kaeda
You're getting ahead of yourself, Dave.
- [19:08]
Dave Defore
Hold on, hold on. But the reason that I say that is because between the ears, they are just. Those guys do not miss a beat. Between the ears, they are just all together. When they make a mistake, pick themselves right back up, and they're right back at it.
- [19:22]
Nick
They're not sweeping the Spurs. Don't worry, spurs fans in my ear today.
- [19:26]
Zena Kaeda
Y.
- [19:26]
Dave Defore
We.
- [19:26]
Zena Kaeda
We ain't even on that side of just yet. Let's take a break and we'll come back before Dave just closes us out and gives the trophy to New York already. Drop by gnc, where new happens first and GNC cuts through the noise to find you what actually works. You'll find the best products and the latest launches, trends, and innovations in wellness and performance, all hand picked by experts at gnc. Get a sneak peek at the newest formulas, flavors and brands coming soon to gnc. From trending ingredients to breakthrough formulas, the drop by GNC keeps you in the
- [20:03]
Dave Defore
know and on top of your goals.
- [20:05]
Zena Kaeda
New drops launch regularly, so there's always something exciting to discover.
- [20:13]
Dave Defore
Hey, Yetis, this is Nick and Jack from the Best One yet podcast.
- [20:16]
Nick
Now, the last company we worked at, they used Paylocity and everything just worked.
- [20:20]
Dave Defore
It wasn't until launching our own media business this show that we realized how rare that is. Because Paylocity is one delicious burrito of operational needs. They roll up hr, finance, and it seamlessly into one delicious bite.
- [20:34]
Nick
When everything wraps together like that all
- [20:36]
Dave Defore
at once, your workforce, your tech stack, your business.
- [20:37]
Nick
You don't need more tools, you don't even need cilantro.
- [20:40]
Dave Defore
You need one solution.
- [20:41]
Nick
And that is why Paylocity built a single platform to connect hr, finance and IT with AI driven insights and automated workflows that simplify the complex and power what's next.
- [20:50]
Dave Defore
Or as we call it, a delicious operational burrito.
- [20:53]
Zena Kaeda
Yes, we do experience a one place for all.
- [20:56]
Nick
Your HCM needs besties. So start now@paylocity.com one paylocity.com one.
- [21:05]
Dave Defore
Your team just added its 67th AI tool and also your 67 security blind spot. The good news, the Vanta agent works like a GRC engineer in the background finding every app your team uses, scoring the risk and drafting fixes for you. Vanta is the platform used by over 16,000 fast moving companies like Ramp Cursor and Harvey who are shaping the future with AI and staying ahead of AI risk. Get started@vanta.com.
- [21:37]
Zena Kaeda
Take a deep breath everyone. We're back. Dave, are you done yet? He's literally taken the Larry o' Brien and handed it already to Jamie Brunson. This is the thing. So watching from home again, I know exactly what you're talking about, Dave. Like there was the first half interview. Carl Anthony Towns is asked about what happened basically in the first half or what's going on. Um, and right now I'm not remembering his exact words, so I don't want to misquote him, but I just remember the gist of it was, you know, very positive, very optimist, optimistic of like, things that they need to get better at and what they need to do better. And then they caught him again. They did another voice like, you know, what's the call when they, you can hear them basically through. They mic'd him up, basically a timeout and he's just like, we gotta, we gotta put pressure on them. We gotta keep playing defense like this. He's, he's really harping on the defense and it's like, I, I don't know how many times I've heard him mic'd up, how many times I've heard him in a huddle. But Mike Brown is off to the side. It's Karl Anthony Towns talking to this team and he is so focused on getting them locked in. He wasn't in the game at that point. I think he was talking to the next rotation, but he was just talking about defense. And that was the first time for me that I was like, all of the things that we talked about in March gone. These, this notion of it really is true. Where does Carl Anthony Towns fit as a leader on this team? And does he, you know, him and Mike Brown on the same page and all gone. Gone. I was like, that's what. That moment and seeing those two, you know, moments from Karl Anthony Towns kind of really solidified for me, is exactly what you're talking about, Dave, is they feel so mentally locked in, but also like, in a more mature and more veteran way.
- [23:26]
Dave Defore
Yeah. And they're connected.
- [23:28]
Zena Kaeda
They're connected, but they also know they're. They're like, they adjusted. Right. And they know their opponent really well. And I wanted to get into it from a perspective of Jalen Brunson, because, my God, the performance was insane. The fourth quarter performance, we know him to be, you know, clutch man, like, just capable of all these things, but it was. I saw Carter Bryant struggling against them. Von Castle couldn't do anything with him. Darren Fox couldn't really do anything. Like, he just kept attacking and kept getting his shots off from y'. All. With y' all sitting in the arena, I'm curious, like, what was it like for the Knicks fans starting to get, like, hearing and seeing him getting going? Like, what was that buzz like? Because they were down 14 in the second half. And if they're, you know, on the road, what did it feel like when Jalen started getting going?
- [24:21]
Nick
The moment that I actually thought Knicks fans cheered the loudest was when OG hit that 3 over WEMBY. And that. That was the moment where I think collectively all of the Knicks fans in the building said, we're winning this game, you know, and. And you just. You could tell from the way one OG reacted to knocking down that shot. You know, he was screaming coming down the same way. And that. Actually, I think that's what allowed Jalen Brunson to get into it a little bit more afterwards. He was getting to the groove. I was mentioning this in the post game last night, but he. He had four layups in the fourth quarter. Like, when you're able to do that against Victor Wemanyama against the spurs, that goes to show you how comfortable you are to your point Cena. Like, whatever defender was on him, he was getting to his spots very consistently. And I know Dave has a boxer analogy that he's been waiting to pull out.
- [25:11]
Dave Defore
I know he's feeling, I've been doing this forever. I've been doing the Jalen Brunson. He's Floyd Mayweather. He's one of the best endurance athletes in the NBA. And he spends four quarters or three and a Half quarters, setting you up to just knock you on your, on your butt. But the last few rounds,
- [25:30]
Zena Kaeda
mentally, yeah,
- [25:32]
Dave Defore
I mean, some of it is like, I mean, for a whole game. No, don't worry, I'm going to get some for New York. Don't worry. Yeah, he kind of, he has this like, again, he's got this, this battery that never runs out. He beats you like physically with his footwork. He's working your body all game long so that at the end of the game he's able to rise up over you. I mean, this is like the smallest star in the NBA. And by the way, he is a star. I mean he can clearly can lead a title team, I think.
- [26:01]
Nick
Absolutely.
- [26:02]
Dave Defore
And he just, the way that he scores is so diverse. He's, he can hit the mid range, the pull up three. We saw him get a offensive rebound tip relocation catch and shoot three. I mean he really can do everything. He's, he's wonderful around the basket. He isoed on Wemby and I knew he was going to get a good look. And I actually think that's something that teams maybe need to think about a little bit is like, maybe it makes sense to ISO on Wemby if we've got a small guard and you can make him work a little bit. But what Jalen Brunson's able to do, like the only real analogy I can come up with is he's a 15 round boxer. He's a championship boxer and the guy just never gets tired. I, I need to know that. What's the workout? We got to drop the workout plan. Like, is he, is he swimming in the ocean carrying rocks? Is he running up mountains? I don't, I mean, what's this guy doing? Is he running in the street, getting chased by children?
- [26:57]
Zena Kaeda
Just think about the Mulan plan, like up mountains. Like, I don't know why I have that. Let's get down to business.
- [27:04]
Nick
Like in my mind to defeat the Spurs.
- [27:10]
Dave Defore
Oh no. Why'd they. We're going to get a copy. A copyright strike on this podcast. Yeah, I was going to say don't
- [27:15]
Zena Kaeda
go too deep into that. You know, a lot of folks have questions about like, he took 31 shots though. It's like. Yeah, but the ones he hit were the ones that they needed to get above the Spurs. Right. To get the lead, to get the momentum going and to be able to close out the game. But it is worth saying the spurs defense wasn't terrible. Right? You hold one of the best, the best offensive team in, in these playoffs. To just 105 points, their lowest offensive rating throughout these entire playoffs. So it wasn't as if. Actually no. I'm going to ask you guys this question. I personally don't think that the spurs defense was flat all the way. I think Wimby on ISOs and in isolation situations they were flat. But I don't necessarily think as a group they were flat. But would you all say New York Knicks offense was just better versus San Antonio was, you know, keeping New York from being able to find the rhythm offensively that they've had all, all playoffs.
- [28:15]
Dave Defore
Spurs, spurs offense was terrible. That like that's the game they, they just completely fell apart in the starting in the middle of the third.
- [28:24]
Zena Kaeda
Stay low. That's my question is like if you have New York sticking to just 105. Yeah. Once, once the spurs get their offense back, then that's great. You want a New York Knicks team that's only scoring 105 points. So I'm just trying to figure out was it the spurs defense that kept them that low or was it the New York. The New York offense just sputtered a little bit to you.
- [28:45]
Nick
I think it was. Honestly, it comes down to shot making. Like, I hate to be the make or miss league guy, but the, the spurs miss like 18 wide open threes in game 1s.
- [28:58]
Dave Defore
Do you know who has the best defensive 3 point percentage in the playoffs? New York Knicks teams are shooting less than 31% against the Knicks. You know who's third? The San Antonio Spurs. 32.8% against the spurs in the playoffs. Shooting matters and it is a make or miss league. I, I actually think s. We got to stop apologizing for that when we say it because the truth is who wins? Like why did the Knicks win? Because Jalen Brunson hit shots when he needed to, right? OG Anunoby hits two threes in the fourth quarter. So I mean it really does come down like it comes down to shot making. That being said, the spurs defense did do a decent job, I thought.
- [29:40]
Zena Kaeda
Yeah, I mean this is my thing if I'm the Spurs and this is, this is where we gotta shift to game two if I'm the Spurs. I'm feeling pretty good though. I know it sucks to lose one on the. On at home to start, you know, but I'm feeling pretty good. We kept the New York Knicks to 105 points. They only shot 11 three pointers. We also shot and made. Excuse me, they made 11 three pointers. We also made 11 three pointers and we missed wide open opportunities. Not only do we miss, we were short. We were off. Like these were just probably, you know, off of the fact that we're a little fatigued from our last series. I'm feeling pretty good that if we make up those three pointers, if we find a way to penetrate that shell defense that, you know, the New York was. New York was really pushing in the first half and then just how well they were rotating. If we find a way to penetrate through and get our sprays back, we're a good place if we keep up this defense. Like is this your mindset going as a game too? I'll start with you, Hess.
- [30:40]
Nick
100%. And that was Wemby's mindset post game and in the shoot around on Thursday, he, he said we don't have to do anything extraordinary. We don't have to do anything incredible.
- [30:51]
Zena Kaeda
That's exactly what it feels like.
- [30:53]
Nick
We just have to play our game. And he, he was asked a question about the technical elements of game one. And he said, I don't think it really had to do with anything of the technical elements. It's mentally, how do we stay locked in? How are we able to execute our game plan? How are we able to knock down shots? How are we able to stay with what we are trying to do like process wise. Right. You guys talked about the veteran aspect of the Knicks. The one thing that's interesting about the veteran aspect of the Knicks is that they are very process oriented. They know the shots that they want to get. Jalen Brunson does, Karl Anthony Towns does the rest of their wings. I think the spurs on a. On kind of like an on and off basis, they're not necessarily sure process wise what kind of shots they want to consistently get. And that that's what leads to Wemby having games where he looks like he has 40 and 21 night and games where he'll go six of 21 night. It's just the process of like a young team understanding what it takes to do it night in, night out also.
- [31:52]
Dave Defore
I really do. Oh, I was, I was going to follow up. I think that a lot of this is that hot start that we've seen them get off to in the playoffs and they didn't get that in, in game one against the Knicks. I think they need those. I think there's a lot of this confidence building that comes from that. And especially with Victor Women, Yama and his shooting, if he gets to see a couple of threes go in early, good night. Yep. Yep.
- [32:17]
Zena Kaeda
I Mean that that first quarter really ramped up. Dylan Harper comes in and drops 10 points in that first quarter and you're just like, okay, this first, they, they look comfortable. It's too easy for them, right? And the Knicks continued with that until the second half when they woke up. And it, it is about that, that resiliency now. Dave, I'm gonna put you in the mindset of New York. Are you concerned that, you know, you were, you had to have Jaylen Brunson go off in the fourth, you had to have OG Anobi get the exact right shots, like the fact that your offense sputtered to start and you had nine days of rest. Do you have any thoughts about, you know, how New York is thinking about the game too?
- [33:00]
Dave Defore
No, I actually think New York, the Knicks probably feel pretty confident and comfortable right now. E. This is one of their worst shooting performances of this 12 game winning streaks that they've had, right? And they still won by double digits. They came back from 14 points down. So it was a, it was a 24 point swing in the last 18 minutes of the game. I think that you probably feel pretty good. Like you think about the first game against the Cavs, you know, and they, they were down 22. This is pretty similar. Kind of feeling them out a little bit. You gotta, they had to make some adjustments. I thought on offense, like the Knicks made a few changes. Mike Brown coaching a wonderful playoffs and if I'm the Knicks, oh, how did we get here? OG Anunoby hit a bunch of timely shots and Jalen Brunson cooked everybody in the fourth quarter all the way here. So I think they won this game exactly the way they got here. It wasn't as pretty as we've seen it, but they still got the win. And I think that that's kind of what this team's identity is. If they can get in the mud or they can shoot 50% from 3 and sadly for the spurs, like the spurs shot bad, but it wasn't like abysmal like we've seen them do. I think they probably are going to have one of those games in this series and you know, we're going to have a game in the series where The Knicks hit 20 some odd threes. So all of a sudden you start doing that back of the paper napkin math for the spurs and you're like, wow, they better come out and win game two. And they need to definitely get probably, I would say game three. Because if you, if you lose two in New York and you're down three One, it's over. You can't get down. Three, three, one. So you gotta not just win game two, you gotta go get one in New York too now. So if I'm New York, I'm, I'm feeling good. You know, Zoron's gonna be in the house. Everybody like, you know, it's gonna be a party in New York. I think they're gonna be great.
- [34:48]
Zena Kaeda
I mean they do have also the momentum right now, right? I love Mike. Borknov reported that the Knicks don't just own the best 12 game stretch by point differential in NBA history. They own the two best game stretch, 12 game stretches, the two best in NBA history. They have a current 12 game win streak. They're going into this next game with and the 12 games starting with game three against the Hawks. That's insane. Insane numbers. All right, y' all predictions for game two, where are we starting?
- [35:20]
Nick
I, I think San Antonio ties it up. I think it'll be 1:1 going into New York again. I think process wise, from what we've seen from the spurs, they are going to have an answer. Wemby is going to have a better game than he had in game one. I think it'll be spurs. And I, I honestly, I'm going to be honest with you. I think it's one of those games where it's a blowout. I think it's just like a massive big answer. It has to be dominate.
- [35:44]
Zena Kaeda
Right, right.
- [35:44]
Nick
And remind everybody and we go to New York one, one.
- [35:48]
Dave Defore
Okay, yeah, I'm with you. Yeah, I'm with you. I think that also the Knicks, look, man, they've won 12 in a row. They're due for one. They have to. No team is going to go on a run like this and not have a dud game at some point. I do think that the spurs likely win game too. I think it should be a blowout. It could even be one where we see Mike Brown just decide we're going to wave the white flag maybe a little bit early and save some, some energy for game three. But that's how, that's how it needs to go for the Spurs. They need to knock them out in game two and, and finish it off. They were, when they were up 13 and they subbed out Luke Cornett. I leaned over to S. I was like, that's a huge mistake. They needed to get that lead to 20. And I said, if the Knicks get this down and not like I'm Nostradamus over here. This is, I've watched a lot of Knicks games this year. If the Knicks get it down to six going into the fourth quarter, Jalen Brunson's winning this game. And so that's it. And so I think they've got to get it done and they got to get it done early. I'm talking like they need double digits up after the first quarter. They need to like have a good 15 point lead at halftime. No lead is safe against this Knicks team. But if they can be 20 points up, you know, late in the third, maybe you can get them to, to shut it down early in the fourth.
- [36:58]
Zena Kaeda
I'm with you. And I think my reasons are for several other ones that we haven't really touched on. That Brunson, Karl Anthony Towns, the late game, like all guard small ball situation that they did with Josh Hart was out there. Shamet was out there, McBride was out there. I don't know that that's going to work again. I feel like the spurs saw that they were kind of like we haven't seen that before. We haven't adjusted for that properly. They're going to ensure that small ball lineup doesn't work again because if you
- [37:33]
Dave Defore
guys know how in like a cartoon someone will see some food and their eyes get big and it, you know, that's how they, they were looking at Landry Shamut in that game.
- [37:43]
Zena Kaeda
Yes. And shout out to Landry Shammat because he was playing some really good on ball defense. But it feels like the spurs now, not only do they know how that that lineup is available for the, for the Knicks. We were worried about the bigs. I was worried about the bigs. Do the Knicks have enough bigs? Oh, excuse me. No, they, they do because Josh Hart can play a five. Josh Hart can set screens, he can rebound. He can be on the glass. So I feel like that's going to be an adjustment where they're just, they are aware that New York can go small and they know how to, how to handle that. They are going to be better about setting Wemby up to perform inside the paint. That particular play that they run, I don't know what they call it, but Bon Castle comes off the screen with Wemby rolling to the basket and it's specifically, it's like a fake out. It's almost like watching volleyball. You know how in volleyball middle blockers will go up and fade so that the right outside blocker comes out and actually spikes it down? It's exact same. It looks like it because sometimes Wemby actually goes up and does it like he acts like, he's about to dunk it looking for the lob from Stefan Castle, and it's not going to him. It's going to the corner 3. Julian Champagne, Keldon Johnson, whomever is out there, or Devin Vassell that we. I feel like we. I don't know. I wish I could see in Synergy how many times that was ran. That wasn't run a ton. It wasn't run enough. I don't think they capitalized on Wemby's height. Interestingly enough. I don't think they capitalize on that enough in this game one. So I think they're going to pick up. Pick back up on that. Um, and Wemby feels like he now knows Katt's coming for him. And I feel like whether they change that matchup where Wemby doesn't start on Kat and he can be in the help position and be just there if Kat decides to go to the basket, um, or he just takes it personally and goes, mitch, no, no, no. I want that. Either way, I feel like that's going to be. There's going to be a different vibe with that matchup in game two.
- [39:36]
Nick
I'm actually glad you brought that up, Zena, because that is exactly what I asked Mitch Johnson about today.
- [39:41]
Zena Kaeda
Oh, okay.
- [39:42]
Nick
I asked why we need y' all there.
- [39:44]
Zena Kaeda
Thank you. Yeah.
- [39:45]
Nick
How you can get easier shots for Wembanyama. Because you're right, the role wasn't there. It wasn't that available. You know, the alley oop stuff wasn't that available. They didn't run it a ton either. But the. The Knicks were packing the paint. And in terms of shot distance, like Wemby. Wemby's shot distance in this game was like 17ft. He. They were able to space him out.
- [40:06]
Dave Defore
It was a Kobe game for him.
- [40:08]
Zena Kaeda
You can.
- [40:08]
Nick
And you compare this to, like, game one against OKC where 95% of his baskets were all in the restricted area. It's just such a different type of Wembanyama game. And so how do you get Wemb. Easy looks. And the. The one thing Mitch Johnson said is that we can't. We can't, like, try and trick the game. You know, we can't fool the game. Whatever the game is giving us, we have to. To do and take.
- [40:32]
Zena Kaeda
Right?
- [40:33]
Nick
So maybe it is just getting to those shooters more often and those guys knocking down their shots.
- [40:37]
Zena Kaeda
Okay, well, it sounds like NBA Daily. We're all saying spurs got game two and go into New York all tied up over the weekend. When is the next game, guys. The third game Friday.
- [40:51]
Nick
Game, game.
- [40:53]
Dave Defore
Game three will be Monday.
- [40:54]
Nick
Game three will be Monday.
- [40:55]
Dave Defore
Yeah, Monday.
- [40:56]
Zena Kaeda
There we go. I'm getting all my wnba, NBA schedule all together. Yeah. So, yes. So game two.
- [41:02]
Dave Defore
Don't forget. And don't forget, guys. We're going to be going live after every single game from the arena. And then we're going to do the follow up pods like this all throughout the final. So, I mean, we're, we're making a, a final push ourself here.
- [41:18]
Zena Kaeda
I love it. I love it. Well, y' all keep behaving without me in San Antonio. Have some fun. Not too, too much. We don't do nothing.
- [41:27]
Nick
I'm sitting. Yeah, I was like, go take a nap.
- [41:29]
Dave Defore
I'm gonna go read a book, yo.
- [41:31]
Zena Kaeda
Okay, well, don't make it seem like our podcast is lame, y'. All. Dang. Trying to give us something. Guys are gonna go, I'm just kidding.
- [41:38]
Dave Defore
I think we're gonna, we're gonna go on a river canal tour. That's what's gonna happen.
- [41:43]
Zena Kaeda
They're gonna hijack the boat ranch. Going to be a whole thing. Y' all make videos. Let's do it. And yes, tap in with our social media. There's a lot of good stuff that will be popping up as well. Well, I appreciate you guys being on site. Appreciate all of you listening. Make sure you are subscribed so you don't miss any of these shows as we close out the year. But for now, we're going to close out this show. I'm Zena Kaeda with Dave Defore and Esperahini. Thanking you for listening and hope you enjoy your day. Thanks for waking up with us.
- [42:13]
Dave Defore
Thanks for listening. Make sure you hit the subscribe or follow button so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed it, drop a, like, leave a rating or let us know in the comments. Thank you guys for waking up with us. It's smart to always have a few financial goals. And a really smart one you can set is earning cash back on what you buy every day. And with Discover, you can get this. Discover automatically matches all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year. Seriously, all of it. And we trust you to make smart decisions. After all, you listen to this show. See terms@discover.com credit card. As a fitness coach, my active psoriatic arthritis can slow me down. With Skyrizid, risankizumab, rza, I'm treating my
- [43:06]
Zena Kaeda
skin and joint symptoms so I can keep moving.
- [43:08]
Dave Defore
Skyrizi, a prescription only injection for adults helps me move with less joint pain, stiffness, swelling and fatigue. And for those who have plaque psoriasis, 90% clearer skin is possible with Skyrizi. There's no daily dosing, it's just four doses a year after two starter doses.
- [43:26]
Zena Kaeda
Don't use if allergic to Skyrizi. Serious allergic reactions, increased infections or or lower ability to fight them may occur before treatment. Get checked for infections and tuberculosis. Tell your doctor about any flu like symptoms or vaccines.
- [43:37]
Dave Defore
Thanks to Skyrizi, there's nothing like clearer skin and better movement, and that means everything. Ask your doctor about SkyRizi, visit skyrizi.com or call 1-866-SkyRizi to learn.
- [43:58]
Zena Kaeda
Hi, this is Brooke Devard from Naked Beauty. I am always looking for ways to elevate our daily rituals, and the Kohler Smart Toilet is proof that design changes everything. It's this stunning sculptural piece that feels like quiet luxury for your bathroom. It totally transforms your daily ritual into something elevated with customizable cleansing and touchscreen controls. It's functional art that makes your space feel cleaner and and more intentional. A modern home deserves a modern toilet. Experience the difference of Kohler Smart Toilets. Find more@kohler.com.